Robotics and Artificial Intelligence for Nuclear (RAIN)

Completed

Nuclear Fission and Fusion(Nuclear Fusion)
Nuclear Fission and Fusion(Nuclear Fission, Nuclear supporting technologies)
Not Energy Related

Basic and strategic applied research

PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Computer Science and Informatics)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering)

Not Cross-cutting

Professor B Lennox
Electrical & Electronic Engineering
University of Manchester

Standard

EPSRC

02 October 2017

31 March 2022

54 months

£12,807,912

Electrical engineering

North West

ISCF Robotics

Professor B Lennox, Electrical & Electronic Engineering, University of Manchester

Professor DA Axinte, Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham
Professor G Brown, Computer Science, University of Manchester
Dr J Carrasco, Electrical & Electronic Engineering, University of Manchester
Professor C Da Vi, Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester
Dr L Dennis, Computer Scienc, University of Liverpool
Dr C Dixon, Computer Scienc, University of Liverpool
Dr M Fallon, Engineering Science, University of Oxford
Professor M Fisher, Computer Scienc, University of Liverpool
Professor S B Furber, Computer Science, University of Manchester
Dr I Havoutis, Engineering Science, University of Oxford
Professor N Hawes, Engineering Science, University of Oxford
Dr G Herrmann, Mechanical Engineering, University of Bristol
Professor MJ Joyce, Engineering, Lancaster University
Professor M Lujan, Computer Science, University of Manchester
Professor PM Newman, Engineering Science, University of Oxford
Dr O D Payton, Engineering Mathematics, University of Bristol
Professor A Richards, Aerospace Engineering, University of Bristol
Dr TO Richardson, Biological Science, University of Bristol
Dr TB Scott, Interface Analysis Centre, University of Bristol
Professor SM Veres, Automatic Control and Systems Engineering, University of Sheffield
Dr SA Watson, Electrical & Electronic Engineering, University of Manchester
Professor S Watts, Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester
Dr A Weightman, Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, University of Manchester

Project Contact, Innotec Ltd
Project Contact, Rolls-Royce PLC
Project Contact, Oxford Investment Opportunity Network
Project Contact, Imitec Ltd
Project Contact, Shadow Robot Company Ltd
Project Contact, Longenecker & Associates, USA
Project Contact, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Italy
Project Contact, SPRINT Robotics Collaborative, The Netherlands
Project Contact, VALTEGRA GP S.à r.l., Luxembourg
Project Contact, Virtual Engineering Centre (VEC)
Project Contact, James Fisher Nuclear Limited
Project Contact, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), Japan
Project Contact, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA)
Project Contact, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Project Contact, National Nuclear Laboratory
Project Contact, Forth Engineering (Cumbria) Limited
Project Contact, Nuvia Limited
Project Contact, Gassco, Norway
Project Contact, Fusion for Energy (F4E), Spain
Project Contact, University of Florida, USA
Project Contact, Nuclear AMRC
Project Contact, Sellafield Ltd
Project Contact, OC Robotics
Project Contact, Createc Ltd
Project Contact, ABB Limited
Project Contact, Uniper Technologies Ltd.
Project Contact, Moog Controls Ltd
Project Contact, EDF Energy
Project Contact, Beijing University, China
Project Contact, Department for International Trade
Project Contact, ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor), France
Project Contact, BP International Ltd
Project Contact, University of Texas at Austin, USA
Project Contact, The Manufacturing Technology Centre Ltd
Project Contact, AWE plc
Project Contact, Festo Ltd
Project Contact, Tharsus

The nuclear industry has some of the most extreme environments in the world, with radiation levels and other hazards frequently restricting human access to facilities. Even when human entry is possible, the risks can be significant and very low levels of productivity. To date, robotic systems have had limited impact on the nuclear industry, but it is clear that they offer considerable opportunities for improved productivity and significantly reduced human risk. The nuclear industry has a vast array of highly complex and diverse challenges that span the entire industry: decommissioning and waste management, Plant Life Extension (PLEX), Nuclear New Build (NNB), small modular reactors (SMRs) and fusion.Whilst the challenges across the nuclear industry are varied, they share many similarities that relate to the extreme conditions that are present. Vitally these similarities also translate across into other environments, such as space, oil and gas and mining, all of which, for example, have challenges associated with radiation (high energy cosmic rays in space and the presence of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) in mining and oil and gas). Major hazards associated with the nuclear industry include radiation; storage media (for example water, air, vacuum); lack of utilities (such as lighting, power or communications); restricted access; unstructured environments.These hazards mean that some challenges are currently intractable in the absence of solutions that will rely on future capabilities in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (RAI). Reliable robotic systems are not just essential for future operations in the nuclear industry, but they also offer the potential to transform the industry globally. In decommissioning, robots will be required to characterise facilities (e.g. map dose rates, generate topographical maps and identify materials), inspect vessels and infrastructure, move, manipulate, cut, sort and segregate waste and assist operations staff. To support the life extension of existing nuclear power plants, robotic systems will be required to inspect and assess the integrity and condition of equipment and facilities and might even be used to implement urgent repairs in hard to reach areas of the plant. Similar systems will be required in NNB, fusion reactors and SMRs.Furthermore, it is essential that past mistakes in the design of nuclear facilities, which makes the deployment of robotic systems highly challenging, do not perpetuate into future builds. Even newly constructed facilities such as CERN, which now has many areas that are inaccessible to humans because of high radioactive dose rates, has been designed for human, rather than robotic intervention. Another major challenge that RAIN will grapple with is the use of digital technologies within the nuclear sector. Virtual and Augmented Reality, AI and machine learning have arrived but the nuclear sector is poorly positioned to understand and use these rapidly emerging technologies. RAIN will deliver the necessary step changes in fundamental robotics science and establish the pathways to impact that will enable the creation of a research and innovation ecosystem with the capability to lead the world in nuclear robotics. While our centre of gravity is around nuclear we have a keen focus on applications and exploitation in a much wider range of challenging environments

07/02/19